It’s Wednesday 2nd of September. Yes, we’re into September. The weather has already turned, producing a miserable, damp and cold end to August, despite it still officially being summertime.

In the midst of this inclement weather, I’ve had customers look back fondly upon a glorious summer – to which I am confused. To me, this summer has been far too overcast for much of the time, with only a few short spells worthy of being referred to as ‘summer’. Perhaps I’m stuck halfway in a parallel universe? It’s the only immediate explanation for how my memories of the weather are not fond ones.

We may yet get a few short bursts of warm weather in September. It’s been known to happen, though I’m not holding my breath.

Work has Resumed

I’ve now been back at work for over a month. It’s been a little bit slow for me, as I need to catch up on several things, though I’ve been getting there. What I need is for September to be a big month (indeed, I need that of every month), which means a bullish approach to the sales game. I’m quietly confident, though in these weird times, who knows what will happen to the retail bubble? The uncertainty is frustrating – but there’s not a lot to be gained from worrying. There are so many factors beyond my control that after a while, working one’s self into a state of panic… well, to be fair, when has that ever achieved anything?

Anxiety

Tied to these unusual and testing times is the sensation of anxiousness. I don’t feel it in the same way that I did, but with the Covid-19 pandemic hurting businesses, it could easily affect my job. Having spent a few months furloughed, I can honestly say being denied a purpose and structure is unsettling. The prospect of a second lockdown is scary, not least of all because I don’t know what the outcome would be of a second experience. Could my employers weather a second such storm? Could anyone’s employers do so? How about the mental health of the nation? What of the effects on the education of young minds, like my daughter?

We can only hope, and if you believe, pray, that we avoid a repeat of the lockdown. I am not particularly confident that our government can manage this well enough to avoid it…

Incompetence

Followers of this blog will know I am no lover of the Tories and their on-going failure to handle the Covid-19 pandemic. Their dithering cost lives, and their erratic handling of it has also cost lives. Their rush to get people back to offices (which is unnecessary, for many office jobs can seemingly be done from home) is more about protecting Tory economic interests, rather than lives.

Brexit, an idea that was bad to begin with, has been turned into an utter shambles. Virtually every expert agrees a no-deal Brexit would be an horrendous mistake, yet Johnson and his cronies appear to be courting it. Brexiteers are reacting with shock and horror that the EU isn’t caving in to our demands, for many Brexiteers fell hook, line and sinker for the notion that Britain somehow, inexplicably, held all the cards in negotiations with a large bloc of united countries.

Needless to say, Brexit casts a great shadow of uncertainty across the nation, with many of the promises turning out to be false – surprise surprise.

It feels like the universe sometimes wants to take the best of us early. Quite why this happens is a complete mystery – why do we have to endure this? And let’s be clear, Chadwick Boseman was definitely among the best of us.

It turns out the Black Panther star (and the star of countless other movies) hid his cancer diagnosis from the world. He’d learned of his illness back in 2016, which means when he was filming Black Panther, and Infinity War, and Endgame, he knew he was sick, and he would have known how his condition was progressing.

Boseman knew the cultural importance of the Black Panther character, particularly at a time when racial tensions have been rising. Perhaps that is why he fought through the pain barrier to bring King T’Challa to life, giving as passionate a performance as the MCU has witnessed. Boseman also fought to give T’Challa an African accent, despite resistance from Marvel, because it was just as important for the character as how the character looked.

Throughout his own battle, Boseman took time to meet with fans, showing his appreciation for their appreciation. He took out from his own fight to visit sick children, enriching their lives. There can be little doubt that he was selfless, and full of heart.

Rest in Peace.